Category Archives: manual textile screen printing

Part 5 in the RhinoTech video series targets the tips and method on how to remove the stencil from the screen frame after printing is completed, so that you gain a new-looking screen frame in its place.

TOOLS for SUCCESSFUL EMULSION REMOVAL PROCESS

ERG8550L that is a ready-to-use Emulsion Remover. It rapidly removes emulsion and capillary film from screens, offers excellent freeze/thaw characteristics and is ideal for use in all climates.

A RhinoCleanWashout Booth that is available in a variety of standard sizes. Its compact, space saving design and durable construction in Polypro continues to be the foremost choice for screen printers.

The RS1500APressure Washer that features a 26” hose, adjustable PSI from 250 – 1500 PSI, an adjustable nozzle, 110V and ground fault plug. It weighs just 60 lbs. in a very compact form and is a powerhouse of a system that just keeps on working year after year after year.

This step-by-step tutorial offers a basic approach to adding registration colors to a design that will eventually be screen printed. In an easy to follow, comfortable style, the secret of how to perform this function unfolds.

An additional benefit of this tutorial is that it overlaps with and is testament to the very recent post on Demystifying Film Positives. In that video by RhinoTech, we learned that for each color in a design, a film positive was required. This is echoed in the Catspit video; for each layer of color there needs to be a film positive printed.

And, you can find the quality of film positive material required in RhinoJet Film Positive Material for use with an inkjet printer. It is a waterproof clear film that is easy to work with and one that offers first-rate opaque halftone, shape and image/design clarity. It can be used with both Pigment and Dye based inks. Additional advantages of this film are that it has minimal dot gain, dries on contact and has maximum density technology. It is also 5 millimeters thick, can be printed in newer inkjet printers and high volume production printers to generate film positives or negatives. And, it is fast drying.

We hope this instructional video has given you the necessary positive reinforcement in your campaign to learn vector art color layering systems, how to use film positive material like a pro and create award-winning, customer satisfying designs.

These images are of two Hermès of Paris scarves that were gifts to me. Their original owner was a life-long friend who felt that an outfit just wasn’t complete without a beautiful scarf. I remember her being especially elegant and sophisticated when wearing one of her gorgeous, purchased-in-Paris silk scarves. Four years ago, my darling friend died at too early of an age. I was deeply touched when her sister wanted me to have two of her Hermès of Paris scarves. When I wore one for the first time, I finally understood the special effect of an Hermès. Isn’t that the same effect we want our apparel to have on customers?

How does ICONIC happen?

How does a screen printer’s work become iconic like the house of Hermès? Is it by using many screens similar to the 47 screens that go into printing each Hermès scarf? Or is it like the 11 stages of silk screen printing that Hermès screen printers go through to create the perfect art? Or is it just the original design? Or…. is it similar to the “Tipping Point” (by Malcolm Gladwell) when he shares the story of Hush Puppies shoes that were suddenly “discovered” by a younger generation that helped the company return from a downward slide (I hope I’m remembering that correctly; BTW – great book for anyone in business).

So, how do screen printer’s creations get discovered? One way is to think impulse buy. Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the artistic director of Hermès International and the great-great-great grandson of Hermès creator Thierry Hermes shared the story about the time he saw a long-haired young man with roller blades buy a twilly, a small silk band scarf in the Paris Hermes store because he needed to hold his hair back. What a opportune moment for Hermès and the next group of potentially young consumers seeking out silk bands by Hermes! Talk about on a whim purchase helping to tip the scales in a new direction!

I think there’s much that those of us in the screen printing industry can learn from Hermès of Paris; about creating something that’s timeless with perfect technique that offers perfect art (think: vintage Rolling Stones T-shirt). And, a pathway to a very different status with apparel that appeals to the “impulse”.

Think Star-Power

Just like the screen printers who send their original printed designs to their favorite musicians or to American Idol contestants and then spot them wearing their shirts in local and national venues and in the media, be proactive. When Grace Kelly was spotted in a Hermès of Paris scarf, you already know what that did to help make Hermès accessible and symbolic of beauty and class.

Here are a few thoughts: Retire a bestselling piece and then give it new life after sufficient hiatus. Add a touch of an unexpected color in the design. Give it a vintage edge. Print it on a more form fitting, athletic-type shirt that does away with the baggy effect. Print on DARK. And, make it into a t-shirt dress that is always timely. Use an Icat or exotic motif. Make your creations accessible to impulse buyers. And, get your art out on social media. And, remember, there is not just one type of customer. They are all ages and sizes.

Learn from Hermès.

I learned the history of the Hermès of Paris printing technique after stumbling upon a few articles written by Allison Carey, The Plain Dealer. She detailed an event in 2013 hosted by The Cleveland Museum of Art and Cuffs Custom Clothing of Chagrin Falls that featured Hermes of Paris and two printers from the Hermès Ateliers in Lyon, France, who were invited to demonstrate the secrets of printing the company’s iconic scarves. I’m grateful to Ms. Carey for the information. Please read her articles Here and Here.

The tradition of Hermès began in 1937 when Robert Dumas created the first scarf or carres. It continues with Dumas who says that Hermès are image-makers; that “my family is obsessed. We are dreamers. Human relations are very important, and the desire to achieve a form of excellence is very strong. Whatever you do, you have to do it with your heart and as best as possible. I think the small company started to attract people who share the same values and Hermès became a very special place.”

Is this what you wish to achieve in your small business, as well? Do you share these values with your customers? Do you put your heart and soul into everything you produce? What about your printing technique? Dumas relates that although the process has changed since 1937, art is unable to be separated from tools. “All artists love their tools. They love their brushes, their little tricks, their recipes and techniques. Artists are inventors and innovators…” . Do you love your tools; your printing press, the squeegees that should be in top form to lay the ink onto your substrate? Do you have a perfect set-up? Are your screen cleaning products eco-sensitive (think RhinoTech environmentally-sensitive screen cleaning products) and perfect for the job at hand? Do the final results of everything you do in your work reflect your best creative efforts? Do you embrace new tools and technology like Dumas who offered that though his company has employed the same master screen printers for decades, they explore all new digital and other technologies to ensure that the art that results is true?

RINSE SCREEN with a commercial-type PRESSURE WASHER like the RhinoSpray 1500A, heavy duty pressure washer for shops cleaning 20-50 screens per day or the RhinoSpray 3901R that is a light-duty pressure washer for small, home based/studio type businesses. In the long-term, you’ll save money by investing in a substantial pressure washer that will last and last and last (this is a must, as mentioned in the article).

De-haze with HRG2400 (or HR2800) to remove any left over ‘ghost’ or haze images on the screen (instructions found in article).

And there you have it – a fully reclaimed, reusable, new-looking screen frame – all engineered by RhinoTech!

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For more information, please contact RhinoTech directly at 888.717.4466 or info@rhinotechinc.com

“Old School Screen Printing in the Digital Age” (SGIA Journal, Winter, 2014) reflects what we have never disregarded – that traditional, manual screen printing remains a mainstay in the art and reproduction world despite the onset of the digital age. For those rediscovering or just discerning its potential, the simplicity and relative affordability of setting up a home-based or storefront studio and the dynamics of creating/selling beautiful, handcrafted pieces has kicked up a firestorm of brilliance.

DIY ART IS SCREEN PRINTING

Serigraph of Ringo that is a screen printed limited edition print

As mentioned in the SGIA Journal feature, Etsy (on-line), art festivals and even Thunder on the Bay (a Sarasota, FL, biker festival of music, crafts, art and food) represent the face-to-face business that is building as manual screen printing churns out vivid creations in wearable and print arts. Various venues in 2014 will continue to host specialty, handmade items in small batches. Check out Art Expo in NYC. Watch for music festivals in Seattle, Barcelona, Chicago, Austin and Hamburg, Germany via Flatstock poster shows. The Renegade Craft Fairs in London, Chicago, Brooklyn, Austin, LA and San Francisco will also be favorite exhibits sites to be awed as will be other arts/crafts fairs throughout U.S. cities and around the nation.

COMMERCIAL ART IS SCREEN PRINTING

And, for the artists who are venturing into printed art/fabric design that appeals to commercial enterprise, the resurgence of manually screen printed items remain big ticket items. Gregory Markus, president of RhinoTech was interviewed after his attendance at a fine art show in the Park Avenue Armory in NYC that is a grand, towering exhibit space in itself. He noted the multi-dimensional screen printed art on display, the bold graphics and sharp, expressive designs. His zealous enthusiasm was infectious regarding the artists whose multi-layered original art prints represented a new wave of “traditionalists” creating limited-edition posters, lithographs and more.

The reemergence of this manually screen printed work, whether displayed in private or commercial arenas, signals an energized marketplace and excitement for a vastly creative, hands-on method in which to design and create. And, importantly, it helps to dispel the myth of manual screen printing’s downturn in favor of a solely digitally printed world. With a 30+ year background in fine art, screen, graphics and digital printing, Mr. Markus has been witness to bold changes and a new facination in producing art with manual screen printing!

A Filtration system in a screen and/or graphics printing business, whether in a corporate, studio or home-based environment, is a highly rated necessity – not a luxury. Choosing one that fits securely underneath a washout booth enables every screen printer the opportunity to easily and responsibly meetcity/county/state/Parrish/township regulations for proper disposal of waste particles as part of the screen cleaning process.

Tip # 1 for choosing a system: look for a triple action unit like the M-10F that uses filtration media. This will help to ensure that the final, remaining liquid left behind will test out as the most drain safe, as possible. A 2013 video by Catspit Productions offers a close-up installation of a Filtration System system and its tremendous advantages for both the company and the environment.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and rethink the reasons as to why a Filtration System is a must in 2013!

How to handle the irate customer? Check out How to Talk so Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk by Adel Farber and Elaine Mazlish (the teen version is equally excellent). This bible of child rearing is one of the best non-business books that makes perfect sense in the business world. Read it and you will believe.

One of the best take-aways from the book was how to use the following expressions Uh-huh, Oh, Interesting, Really? I See and Mmm, along with sympathetic silence, during a customer rant. It was astonishing at how powerful these simple little words made it possible to diffuse/resolve a situation with the irate, unreasonable, emotionally charged, often loud, unhappy-and-wanting-justice customer in the calmest, most peaceful way possible. Speaking from experience, these practical tactics (and some appropriately interjected humor) help to restore sanity and harmony in a tough customer/workplace situation. Though we might fantasize about strongly articulating, why you gotta be so mean?, logically, we know that a defensive posture will just be a lose-lose situation.In the end, what we really want is to retain a customer who will remember that we tried hard to solve a problem to his/her satisfaction.

Here is an excerpt from a summary of the book …..The more I move through life and the business world, however, I am struck how the same techniques enhance communication between adults in all aspects of life. This book should also be listed in the Business/Management section. It says all the same things the high-priced consultants say — treat people with respect, do not deny their emotions, state the facts (only) and shut up and listen. This book also talks about giving praise and recognition, which makes it another reason to use it in real life, inside the family AND outside in the “real” world.

Some tips with tactics from the book:

Apologize and Listen. Immediately respond to the customer problem with, You do sound unhappy,my apologies. Let me help you. (or) I’m so sorry, I want to try and turn this around (or) if all else fails, It sounds like we owe you an apology.

Then…let the customer talk and respond at intervals with, Oh (or) Interesting (or) Uh huh (or) Really? (or) Mmm (or) I See (non-judgmental words) so that the customer knows you are listening.

Treat people with respect: actively listen, acknowledge with short bursts of Oh (or) Interesting (or) Uh huh (or) Really? (or) Mmm (or) I See. If appropriate, throw in a that does sound frustrating. As the customer is able to air the complaint, he/she should start to calm down.

On the other hand, if the customer is just becoming increasingly angry and/or abusive, try to retain integrity and calm and say something like, I understand that you’re very unhappy and I want to help you, but at this point I need to put the president of the company on the phone (or) I need to ask for your name and number so that the president of the company can call you back.

State the facts back: Ask yes or no questions, only, to get the full details of the complaint. And to reach a resolution. Once you think you have it, remain sympathetic. State back the problem and resolution. Gain agreement that the resolution you’ve discussed is understood by the customer. Say something like: So that we’re both comfortable (another good word from the book), we’ve decided that our company will fix the equipment and you will pay to have it shipped to our location (or) Just to confirm, you understand the step-by-step set-up instructions and you are now comfortable in completing the set-up?

Thank the person for calling; document the conversation point by point.

Wanted to share this blog by Jonathan at Catspit Productions. It’s well done and answers the question for many of us who are often frustrated with the process. The Catspit Forum is a great place for Q and A.

All things printing!

All things printing!

It's all about Screen Printing, Heat Transfer Printing, Graphics Printing, stepping out of the box and more...

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